Blackpool & Fylde Pubwatch and Blackpool Shopwatch schemes: how they work, who runs them, and who benefits from them.

£165,000 has been spent on additional security and environment services including Blackpool & Fylde Pubwatch and Shopwatch schemes.

Shopwatch and Pubwatch help monitor anti-social or potentially criminal behaviour, and send real-time alerts to other members of the schemes.

The schemes have been set up by Blackpool Town Centre Business Improvement Districts (Blackpool BIDs), as part of its promise to provide a safe and secure operating environment. It spends approximately £165,000 each year on security and environmental services.

Both schemes are going to benefit even further with the announcement of Blackpool Councils investment in more CCTV infrastructure and re location to a state of the art CCTV control room, providing a vital additional link to keep people safe.

There are various schemes in play aimed at keeping people in the area safe

How it works

BID wardens provide a physical presence around the town centre during the day and support local businesses using radios provided under the Shopwatch and Pubwatch schemes.

These wardens are a visible deterrent, but the real power of the two schemes comes in the radio alert system.

The Pubwatch and Shopwatch Members said: “If, for example, a prolific shoplifter is spotted in the town, businesses can radio ahead to alert other shops to be on their guard. Similarly, at night, if trouble is brewing around a pub, the message can quickly go out to other premises not to allow the trouble-makers entry, under the ‘barred from one, barred from all’ policy.

“Both of these schemes help business owners and their staff to enjoy a safer, more pleasant working environment, and there are knock-on benefits for all.”

Blackpool & Fylde Pubwatch

Other Pubwatch programmes in operation include:

- Ask for Angela, which allows anyone feeling uncomfortable, intimidated or at risk on a date to alert the staff behind the bar, who will arrange a safe lift home.

- Leave it and lose it – which highlights the risk of spiking.

- It stops here – a zero tolerance approach to abuse of women and girls in Blackpool

- Green Dot By-Stander Training, which trains people to spot abuse, when to intervene and how to summon appropriate help

Blackpool BIDs operates Blackpool & Fylde Pubwatch that currently has over 130 members and is supported by local Police, Blackpool Council & Fylde Council Licensing to prevent and reduce anti-social behaviour.

The scheme helps to reduce violence towards staff, deter troublemakers, minimise risk to property and provides a better public image of the town, and a safer, happier environment for customers.

Pubwatch is not just for bars as in addition, taxi firms, local takeaways and restaurants and security firms that provide door supervisors, all of whom might experience anti-social behaviour, can sign up.

Shopwatch

Blackpool Shopwatch Scheme has been established for several years and operates as an extremely effective means of communication between town centre businesses, Blackpool BID Wardens, the police, and the town centre CCTV control monitoring room.

Through the scheme, members have been able to greatly increase the effectiveness of their security operations and control stock losses. Staff and security personnel no longer find themselves working in isolation and can contact other radio users around the town to share information.

Over 50 town centre business members are connected to the system, with link radios also carried by town centre police patrols and BID Wardens. The scheme also allows direct communication to the CCTV control monitoring room, providing an extremely efficient and effective communication network.

For further information and costs to join either scheme, please email [email protected] and a co-ordinator from the scheme will get in touch.